Community Corner
Got A Hairy Beard-Tongue? State Officials Want To Know
A state map shows which rare species live in your city or town. MassWildlife is looking for sightings of the endangered plants and animals.
WORCESTER, MA — There hasn't been a hairy beard-tongue sighting in the Worcester since 1890, but you never know until you check.
With state residents spending more time outdoors in the warmer months and during leaf-peeping season, state wildlife officials have put out a call for sightings of endangered and threatened species.
There are some 400 plants, insects and animals that under threat in Massachusetts, and the state has compiled a map showing when the last time they've been seen in every city and town in the state — like the mocha emerald butterfly, last seen in Braintree in 1989, or the marbled salamander, last seen in Salem in the early 1800s. Or the hairy beard-tongue flower, absent in Worcester for more than 100 years.
"If you see any of the 400+ species listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, or if you find a seasonal wetland area that may be a vernal pool, MassWildlife would like to hear about it," MassWildlife said in an August bulletin.
If you spot an endangered timber rattlesnake or a golden-winged warbler (last seen in Newton in 1877), report it through the state Heritage Hub website.
